Motor Abnormalities in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder Are Associated With Regional Grey Matter Volumes.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are associated with motor impairments, with some children holding a comorbid diagnosis of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). However, DCD is underdiagnosed in these populations and the volume abnormalities that contribute to explaining these motor impairments are poorly understood. In this study, motor abilities as measured by the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) were compared between children with ADHD, children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children, aged 8-12 years old.

Disorder-specific brain volumetric abnormalities in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder relative to Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The overlap/distinctiveness between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been increasingly investigated in recent years, particularly since the DSM-5 allows the dual diagnosis of ASD and ADHD, but the underlying brain mechanisms remain unclear. Although both disorders are associated with brain volumetric abnormalities, it is necessary to unfold the shared and specific volume abnormalities that could contribute to explain the similarities and differences in the clinical and neurocognitive profiles between ADHD and ASD. In this voxel-based morphometry (VBM) study, regional grey matter volumes (GMV) were compared between 22 children with ADHD, 18 children with ASD and 17 typically developing (TD) children aged 8 to 12 years old, controlling for age and total intracranial volume.

Context-dependent irritability in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: correlates and stability of family-restricted versus cross-situational temper outbursts.

Background: Impairing irritability is highly prevalent in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), although manifestations of irritability are not necessarily present in all settings (home, school, with peers). At the moment, little is known about the relative prevalence, stability, and etiologies of contextual versus cross-situational manifestations of irritability in ADHD. In this study, levels of dysfunctional parenting practices and sleep problems were compared in irritable versus nonirritable children with ADHD, in cases of family-restricted versus cross-situational irritability, and examined as predictors of irritability levels over a one-year interval.

ADHD and ASD: distinct brain patterns of inhibition-related activation?

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) and autism spectrum (ASD) disorders often co-occur. In both cases, response inhibition deficits and inhibition-related atypical brain activation have been reported, although less consistently in ASD. Research exploring the overlap/distinctiveness between ADHD and ASD has significantly increased in recent years, but direct comparison of the inhibition-related neuronal correlates between these disorders are scarce in the literature.

Dopamine transporter genotype modulates brain activity during a working memory task in children with ADHD.

Dopamine active transporter gene (DAT1) is a candidate gene associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The DAT1 variable number tandem repeat (VNTR)-3' polymorphism is functional and 9R carriers have been shown to produce more DAT than 10R homozygotes. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the effects of this polymorphism on the neural substrates of working memory (WM) in a small but selected population of children with ADHD, naïve of any psychotropic treatment and without comorbidity.

Structural and functional neuroimaging in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Over the last decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of neuroimaging studies in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In terms of brain structure, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and diffusion tensor imaging studies have evidenced differences in volume, surface-based measures (cortical thickness, surface area, and gyrification), and white matter integrity in different cerebral regions, in children and adults with ADHD compared to population norms. Abnormalities in the basal ganglia, prefrontal structures, and the corpus callosum have been the most consistently reported findings across studies.

Relationship Between White Matter Abnormalities and Neuropsychological Measures in Children With ADHD.

Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), to investigate microstructural white matter differences between ADHD and typically developing children (TDC), and their association with inhibition and working memory performance usually impaired in ADHD. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were estimated in 36 noncomorbid children with a (4th ed., text rev.

Attentional control of emotional interference in children with ADHD and typically developing children: An emotional N-back study.

Emotional interference control refers to the ability to remain focused on goal-oriented processes when confronted with disrupting but irrelevant emotional stimuli, a process that may be impaired in children and adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, emotional interference levels are known to be associated with trait anxiety, and patients with ADHD often display elevated levels of trait anxiety, such as these may have confounded previous findings of decreased emotional interference control in this population. In the present study, male and female 8-13 years old (mean =11.

Genetics of schizophrenia: A consensus paper of the WFSBP Task Force on Genetics.

Objectives: Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disease affecting about 1% of the general population. The relative contribution of genetic factors has been estimated to be up to 80%. The mode of inheritance is complex, non-Mendelian, and in most cases involving the combined action of large numbers of genes.

Hyperactivity in motor response inhibition networks in unmedicated children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

Objectives: Hypo/reduced activity in motor response inhibition (RI) cerebral networks was recently proposed as a promising specific neurobiological marker of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Before adopting such a pattern as a key diagnosis tool, we aim to replicate in an independent study the mechanisms underlying reduced RI-related activity in ADHD, after controlling for potentially confounding effects.

Methods: In this fMRI study, we investigated the neural networks mediating successful and failed motor RI in children with ADHD and typically developing children (TDC) using the stop-signal task (SST) paradigm.

Consensus paper of the WFSBP Task Force on Genetics: Genetics, epigenetics and gene expression markers of major depressive disorder and antidepressant response.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a heritable disease with a heavy personal and socio-economic burden. Antidepressants of different classes are prescribed to treat MDD, but reliable and reproducible markers of efficacy are not available for clinical use. Further complicating treatment, the diagnosis of MDD is not guided by objective criteria, resulting in the risk of under- or overtreatment.

Grey matter volume differences associated with gender in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A voxel-based morphometry study.

Female participants have been underrepresented in previous structural magnetic resonance imaging reports on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this study, we used optimized voxel-based morphometry to examine grey matter volumes in a sample of 33 never-medicated children with combined-type ADHD and 27 typically developing (TD) children. We found a gender-by-diagnosis interaction effect in the ventral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), whereby boys with ADHD exhibited reduced volumes compared with TD boys, while girls with ADHD showed increased volumes when compared with TD girls.

Grey matter volumes in treatment naïve vs. chronically treated children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a combined approach.

Psychostimulants are the first-line treatment in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but their effects on brain development remain poorly understood. In particular, previous structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) studies only investigated treatment effects on grey matter (GM) volumes in selected regions of interest (ROIs). In this study, voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to assess medication-related GM volume differences across the entire brain.

Executive and attentional contributions to Theory of Mind deficit in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children has been associated with attentional and executive problems, but also with socioemotional difficulties possibly associated with deficits in Theory of Mind (ToM). Socioemotional problems in ADHD are associated with more negative prognoses, notably interpersonal, educational problems, and an increased risk of developing other psychiatric disorders that emphasize the need to clarify the nature of their ToM deficits. In this study, we hypothesized that ToM dysfunction in children with ADHD is largely attributable to their attentional and/or executive deficits.

Structural correlates of COMT Val158Met polymorphism in childhood ADHD: a voxel-based morphometry study.

Objectives: The Val158-allele of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met (rs4680) functional polymorphism has been identified as a risk factor for antisocial behaviour in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Here, we used voxel-based morphometry to investigate the effects of Val158Met polymorphism on grey matter (GM) volumes in a sample of 7-13-year-old children.

Methods: MRI and genotype data were obtained for 38 children with combined-type ADHD and 24 typically developing (TD) children.

Evaluation of the role of MAPK1 and CREB1 polymorphisms on treatment resistance, response and remission in mood disorder patients.

Treatment resistant depression (TRD) is a significant clinical and public health problem. Among others, neuroplasticity and inflammatory pathways seem to play a crucial role in the pathomechanisms of antidepressant efficacy. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether a set of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within two genes implicated in neuroplasticity and inflammatory processes (the mitogen activated protein kinase 1, MAPK1 (rs3810608, rs6928, rs13515 and rs8136867), and the cyclic AMP responsive element binding protein 1, CREB1 (rs889895, rs6740584, rs2551922 and rs2254137)) was associated with antidepressant treatment resistance (according to two different definitions), in 285 Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) patients.

Working memory-related functional brain patterns in never medicated children with ADHD.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by 3 clusters of age-inappropriate cardinal symptoms: inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. These clinical/behavioural symptoms are assumed to result from disturbances within brain systems supporting executive functions including working memory (WM), which refers to the ability to transiently store and flexibly manipulate task-relevant information. Ongoing or past medications, co-morbidity and differences in task performance are potential, independent confounds in assessing the integrity of cerebral patterns in ADHD.

Influence of COX-2 and OXTR polymorphisms on treatment outcome in treatment resistant depression.

Inflammatory pathways play a crucial role in the pathomechanisms of antidepressant efficacy. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a set of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2, rs5275 and rs20417) and oxytocin receptor (OXTR, rs53576 and rs2254298) genes was associated with antidepressant treatment resistance, response or remission. Three hundred seventy-two patients were recruited in the context of a multicenter resistant depression study.

Failure to replicate influence of GRIK4 and GNB3 polymorphisms on treatment outcome in major depression.

In the present study, we aimed to confirm the previous finding of an association between GRIK4 and GNB3 variants (rs195478 and rs5443) and remission and treatment resistance in major depression, using a multicenter sample of 223 patients. We did not find any supporting evidence for such associations. These conflicting data may result from difficulties in the replication of candidate gene association studies.

Citalopram versus desipramine in treatment resistant depression: effect of continuation or switching strategies: a randomized open study.

OBJECTIVES. Evidence in favour of switching between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and tricyclic (TCA) antidepressants in treatment resistant depression has been tested in a few studies only, consequently a prospective study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of switching strategies. METHODS.

Switching antidepressant class does not improve response or remission in treatment-resistant depression.

Objective: The management of treatment-resistant depression is a much debated issue. In particular, the evidence supporting the commonly suggested sequential use of antidepressants from 2 different pharmacological classes is weak. This retrospective study was undertaken to investigate whether there is a better response in nonresponders switched to a different class of antidepressants (across-class) compared with nonresponders switched to an antidepressant from the same class (within-class).

COMT and age at onset in mood disorders: a replication and extension study.

Our study aims at replicating our previous finding of an association between COMT rs4680 G/A polymorphism and early onset major depression (MD). We included 462 MD, 147 bipolar disorders (BD) subjects and 295 healthy controls. We could partially replicate previous findings.